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1- The Fastball is the best pitch in baseball2-A pitcher is completely useless if he does not have Command and Control of his pitches3-Starting Pitchers need three solid pitches with the fastball being the best of them4-Velocity is nice but High Velocity pitchers are more combustible. Movement is far more important.5-A pitcher is completely useless when on the disabled list

Opinions:1-I'd rather have a SP with an ordinary 4.50 ERA that can manage 180 or more IP per year and make start after start than any guy who is 28 years old trying to figure it out. Reliable stuff is more important than great stuff.2-Great Pitchers do not have to be 6'3 or taller. 3-Great Pitchers go right after hitters and trust themselves.4-Dickering around the strike zone leads to inflated pitch counts and early calls to the bullpen.

Every year I pull my hair out trying to figure out what the team will do and what I really want them to do in the draft. In the past choosing early that has been easier. Now picking later it's far more convoluted. However, pouring over web content repeatedly has lead me to start liking some prospects over others.

Aaron Blair RHP Marshall (Junior)6'4" 220lbs

...the word “good” can be found throughout Blair’s scouting notes in my Word doc: good command of a 87-92 FB (93 peak) with good sink; good 74-78 CB; 81-85 CU thrown with good looking arm action; good, sturdy frame (6-5, 220 pounds); good numbers (8.42 K/9 in 2011, 9.04 K/9 and 3.37 FIP in 2012). If you didn’t know any better, you’d think Blair is a pretty darn good prospect...

“When Aaron came to Marshall, he was primarily a fastball-curveball guy,” Marshall pitching coach Joe Renner said. “And I think the thing that’s really improved the most and has become a really good pitch for him is the changeup. It’s a swing-and-miss pitch for him, it doesn’t matter if it’s a righthanded hitter or a lefthanded hitter. It’s got a lot of late, sinking action on it and when you add that third pitch to the mix, it makes it tough on hitters. For me, that’s been the biggest thing because he’s always had pretty good command. It’s gotten better as he’s gotten older. His velo has improved as he’s gotten stronger. Each year, he’s just gotten a little bit better.”

Why am I growing fond of a guy that has (currently) an outside chance at the first round? Well if it looks right it is right. This guy looks like a MLSP to me and he's not from a baseball powerhouse like Stanford, LSU or one of the JUCO manufacturing plants. Nor is he so highly touted a prospect that he's under massive amounts of pressure. Also, I see no crash landing or strain. This is an arm to watch!

Odd delivery and refinement needed but he has the arm the Orioles would love to work with but he is committed to UVA. Watch the movement on his pitches and you will see why he may be drafted around the time the Orioles pick at 22. Watch the change-up at 4:28.

I'm Really enamored with a few prospects that could go anywhere from the top 20-60 range. Some rated top 15 do not thrill me as third rounders. I've taken notice of about 4 arms I would love to see the Orioles draft (some stated in this thread). I'll likely start a new thread in two weeks time or so where different scenarios are explored.

The draft is somewhat infuriating in that I want the team to target position players to provide better run support. Namely at 2B, SS and Catcher. This class though has some really good pitchers that regardless of scenario will be available at each of the team's choices inside the top 100. I'm terrified that the team blows it reaching for a player it thinks has projection. Honestly there is a sound abundance of College pitching this year! I've come to that conclusion by pouring over available information at least 5 days a week for the past month.

The trick(s) here is that many of the Arms are underclassman. That along with hard slotting the team must know exactly how sign able a player is.

I could see them going with a HS catcher based on best talent available. Following up with a college pitcher like Bobby Wahl, rhp, Mississippi or Ryan Eades, rhp, Louisiana State with that compensation pick at 37. That would be a very good start to the draft.

22. ORIOLES: Though Baltimore is set at catcher with Matt Wieters, it still makes sense to draft the best available talent in the first round. The Orioles have been linked to Ciuffo, who like Wieters played at a South Carolina high school.

Oscar Mercado SSManny Machado has proven to be a sensational young third baseman for Baltimore. The Orioles may see fit to select Oscar Mercado, a dazzling young shortstop from Florida, to complement Machado and potentially solidify the left side of their infield for a decade.

John Sickles Minor League Ball (made this argument myself early on in this thread)22) Baltimore Orioles: Marco Gonzalez, LHP, Gonzaga: How about another pitcher to follow up Dylan Bundy in 2011 and Kevin Gausman in 2012? Robert Kaminsky is the best high schooler available, but you could make a case for several different college guys including Wahl, Gonzalez, Blair, and Anderson. The Orioles are in contention right now and Gonzalez is the most advanced of that group; in the long run he would look good in a rotation with the hard-throwing right-handers.

ANALYSIS: Ciuffo has a little less raw power but has shown more polish to his game this spring than Denney and could well go ahead of him. The O's have also been tied to Vandy LHP Kevin Ziomek after GM Dan Duquette scouted him recently, but he's more of a second round fit as the stuff is a little light for this spot. I've also heard the O's connected to Georgia prep CF Josh Hart and Virginia prep RHP Connor Jones, both of whom could fit at this pick, but may be more likely at their comp round pick.